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Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voiceen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:55:45 GMT2015-03-31T20:55:45Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2015The Guardianhttp://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttp://www.theguardian.com
Carers deserve a livable income | Lettershttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/carers-deserve-a-livable-income
<p>Family carers are among the most responsible members of society. <a href="http://carerwatch.com/" title="">CarerWatch</a>, along with others, believes suggestions made in recent leaked documents of moving carers to universal credit would result in an unfair system that gives no recognition whatsoever of the contribution carers make to society. CarerWatch believes that governments should accept their responsibility to carers. Carers deserve a livable income, a separate benefit which recognises that they are not unemployed or “passive” recipients of benefit but are making an important contribution to society.</p><p>Those in receipt of carer’s allowance cannot be classed as being inactive. Carers are unique within the benefit system in that they have to provide a minimum of 35 hours a week care in order to qualify for carer’s allowance. Over 1.5 million carers provide more than 50 hours’ a week of care, some providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Carer’s allowance cannot therefore be considered as being a “passive” benefit. Caring places physical and emotional demands on a carer. Unpaid caring entails carrying out the same tasks and duties considered by society to be work when carried out by paid care workers.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/carers-deserve-a-livable-income">Continue reading...</a>CarersSocial careSocietyUK newsHealth policyHealthPublic services policyPoliticsUniversal creditConservativesTue, 31 Mar 2015 18:38:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/carers-deserve-a-livable-incomePhotograph: /Alamy'Over 1.5 million carers provide more than 50 hours’ a week of care, some providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.' Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: /Alamy'Over 1.5 million carers provide more than 50 hours’ a week of care, some providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.' Photograph: AlamyLetters2015-03-31T18:38:18ZWealth ‘creators’ are robbing our most productive people | George Monbiothttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/wealth-creators-klepto-rewards-bosses
Lives are being trashed by klepto-remuneration: theft through excess rewards to rapacious bosses<p>There is an inverse relationship between utility and reward. The most lucrative, prestigious jobs tend to cause the greatest harm. The most useful workers tend to be paid least and treated worst.</p><p>I was reminded of this while listening last week to a care worker describing her job. Carole’s company gives her a rota of, er, three half-hour visits an hour. It&nbsp;takes no account of the time required to travel between jobs, and doesn’t pay her for it either, which means she makes less than the minimum wage. During the few minutes she spends with a client, she may have to get them out of bed, help them on the toilet, wash them, dress them, make breakfast and give them their medicines. If she ever gets a break, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05mt5cd" title="">she told the BBC radio programme You and Yours</a>, she spends it with her clients. For some, she is the only person they see all day.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/25/treating-soil-like-dirt-fatal-mistake-human-life">We’re treating soil like dirt. It’s a fatal mistake, because all human life depends on it | George Monbiot</a> </p><p>As the pay gap widens the uselessness ratio is going through the roof</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/25/green-natural-disasters-britain-farming-damage">What’s the link between this great rail disaster and 2014’s floods? Killing trees | George Monbiot</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/wealth-creators-klepto-rewards-bosses">Continue reading...</a>PovertyBusinessEconomicsPoliticsUK newsSocial exclusionSocietyExecutive pay and bonusesTue, 31 Mar 2015 18:29:39 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/wealth-creators-klepto-rewards-bossesPhotograph: Mike Blake/Reuters'The former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina, features prominently on lists of the USA’s worst bosses. Where is she now? About to launch her campaign as presidential candidate for the Republican party.' Photograph: Mike Blake/ReutersPhotograph: Mike Blake/Reuters'The former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina, features prominently on lists of the USA’s worst bosses. Where is she now? About to launch her campaign as presidential candidate for the Republican party.' Photograph: Mike Blake/ReutersGeorge Monbiot2015-03-31T18:29:39ZClare in the communityhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/picture/2015/mar/31/clare-in-the-community
<p>These foolish things</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/picture/2015/mar/31/clare-in-the-community">Continue reading...</a>Social careSocietyTue, 31 Mar 2015 18:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/picture/2015/mar/31/clare-in-the-communityPhotograph: Harry VenningPhotograph: Harry VenningHarry Venning2015-03-31T18:00:02ZMy hot tips for parents with a fat kid: feed them fun, kindness and dignityhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/tips-parents-fat-kid-unable-recognise-obesity
<p>Parents may not be able to recognise that their child is obese, according to a new study. Well that’s two fewer people making their offspring feel like a failure</p><p>We live in a culture where every inch of our physicality – every curve, pound, bulge, bone – in both public and private life, is obsessively monitored, catalogued, critiqued, and leveraged for cash. The worst thing you can be is always fat, the best thing you can be is never fat, and the richest thing you can be is formerly fat with a weight-loss book deal. So it’s almost alien to imagine that any human being on earth wouldn’t recognise a fat person when they see one. But, according to <a href="http://bjgp.org/content/65/633/e234">a new study published in the British Journal of General Practice</a>, one demographic group struggles with just that blindspot. That group is parents, and it happens solely when they’re looking at their own fat children.</p><p>Researchers <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/30/parents-of-obese-children-unable-to-recognise-child-is-overweight">studied almost 3,000 families in the UK</a>, categorising children by BMI as “normal weight, overweight (above the 85th percentile), or very overweight (ie equivalent to obese in the US, above the 95th percentile).” They then asked parents to guess which category applied to their kids.</p><p>Of the 369 kids who were very overweight, only four parents thought they were.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/30/parents-of-obese-children-unable-to-recognise-child-is-overweight">Obesity: parents unable to recognise if child is overweight</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/tips-parents-fat-kid-unable-recognise-obesity">Continue reading...</a>Parents and parentingFamilyLife and styleObesitySocietyHealth & wellbeingChildrenTue, 31 Mar 2015 16:19:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/tips-parents-fat-kid-unable-recognise-obesityPhotograph: StockbyteStop trying to make your kids thin and focus on making them healthy.Photograph: StockbyteStop trying to make your kids thin and focus on making them healthy.Lindy West2015-03-31T16:19:49ZMedomsley abuse inquiry: two former officers arrested on suspicion of abusehttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/31/medomsley-abuse-inquiry-two-former-officers-arrested-on-suspicion-of-abuse
<p>Police say 1,123 men have contacted them to report they were victims of either sexual or physical assault while detained at the County Durham centre</p><p>Two former prison officers have been arrested on suspicion of physical and sexual assaults at a juvenile detention centre. A further 14 former officers have been questioned as part of the biggest investigation ever carried out by Durham police.<br /></p><p>The two ex-officers, aged 69 and 58, were questioned as part of a major probe by police into allegations of historic abuse at Medomsley detention centre, near <a href="http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/search/?search=Consett&amp;topic_id=2511">Consett</a>, County Durham. They were released on police bail.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/31/medomsley-abuse-inquiry-two-former-officers-arrested-on-suspicion-of-abuse">Continue reading...</a>CrimeUK newsPrisons and probationUK criminal justiceLawSocietyTue, 31 Mar 2015 15:59:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/31/medomsley-abuse-inquiry-two-former-officers-arrested-on-suspicion-of-abusePhotograph: Paul Kingston/North News & Pictures, NewcastleNeville Husband in 2003 when he was jailed for historical sexual abuse as a prison officer at Medomsley detention centre in County Durham.Photograph: Paul Kingston/North News & Pictures, NewcastleNeville Husband in 2003 when he was jailed for historical sexual abuse as a prison officer at Medomsley detention centre in County Durham.Eric Allison and Simon Hattenstone2015-03-31T15:59:13ZLabour attack on Lib Dem drug policy slammed as medievalhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/31/labour-attack-lib-dem-drug-policy-medieval
<p>Campaigners say leaflet slating party’s stance on abolishing prison sentences for personal drug possession sets back moves towards decriminalisation</p><p>Drug law reformers have accused Labour of adopting medieval tactics and underestimating the intelligence of voters by putting out <a href="http://tinyurl.com/omshnw4">an official leaflet</a> declaring: “The Lib Dems: soft on crime, drugs and thugs.”</p><p>The leaflet attacks the Liberal Democrats for cutting 17,000 police officers, making it harder for forces to use DNA evidence and for “weakening powers used to monitor terror suspects” – a reference to the decision to replace control orders.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/31/labour-attack-lib-dem-drug-policy-medieval">Continue reading...</a>LabourLiberal DemocratsDrugsDrugs policyPoliticsUK newsSocietyTue, 31 Mar 2015 15:18:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/31/labour-attack-lib-dem-drug-policy-medievalPhotograph: Labour Party/Labour PartyAlan Travis Home affairs editor2015-03-31T15:18:46ZMen don’t worry about their sperm count – but they should | Ally Fogghttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/sperm-count-worry-male-fertility-crisis
Male fertility in the west is in crisis. But, thanks to a lack of anxiety among men, we haven’t yet taken the problem seriously<p>Scientists at Harvard have found that men who <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/31/pesticide-residue-food-sperm-quality-harvard" title="">eat a lot of pesticide-coated fruit and vegetables</a> have fewer and less healthy sperm than those who do not. The authors stress that this should not be a cause for panic measures or a change in dietary habits. The study only researched men attending a fertility clinic, who might not be representative of the general population, and while the differences were measurable and statistically significant, they were not huge.</p><p>Nonetheless, if you are a man who is worried about your sperm count and fertility.... Whoa, wait right there, what am I thinking? If you are a man, of course you are not worried about your sperm count and fertility, that is simply not something men do. As young bloods we jokingly wish for infertility, allowing us to sow our wild oats without any inconvenient crops being harvested nine months later. In later life, we might continue to stress about our sexual performance, erectile function, the size of the prize or the middle-age spread, but the health and wealth of the little swimmers rarely warrants a second thought.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/may/10/ivf-nhs-fertility-postcode-lottery-cut-costs">IVF and the NHS: the parents navigating fertility's postcode lottery</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/sperm-count-worry-male-fertility-crisis">Continue reading...</a>Fertility problemsHealthSocietyMen's healthHealth & wellbeingLife and styleReproductionScienceWorld newsTue, 31 Mar 2015 13:35:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/sperm-count-worry-male-fertility-crisisPhotograph: /David LeveneA vial of frozen sperm. 'In the US there are five doctors specialising in female infertility for every one specialising in men.' Photograph: David LevenePhotograph: /David LeveneA vial of frozen sperm. 'In the US there are five doctors specialising in female infertility for every one specialising in men.' Photograph: David LeveneAlly Fogg2015-03-31T13:35:14ZWhy are stroke survivors being written off?http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/stroke-survivors-being-written-off-care-homes
Despite great strides in hospital treatment, vital physiotherapy in care homes too often falls short<p>Paul Luscombe rises confidently from his wheelchair, sets one foot in front of the other and walks steadily between the parallel bars in the rehabilitation gym of his care home.</p><p>The simple task is, as Luscombe says, amazing, given that a stroke five years ago left him unable to walk. When he moved into the home from hospital, he spent most days in a wheelchair, hunched over the weaker right side of his body.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/12/stroke-treatment-offers-victims-double-their-chances-of-avoiding-brain-damage">Stroke treatment improves patients' chances of avoiding brain damage</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/stroke-survivors-being-written-off-care-homes">Continue reading...</a>Social careOlder peopleDisabilitySocietyHospitalsHealthHealth policyTue, 31 Mar 2015 13:00:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/stroke-survivors-being-written-off-care-homesPhotograph: Linda Nylind/GuardianPaul Luscombe with his physiotherapist Joanna Lawrance in Dartford, Kent. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the GuardianPhotograph: Linda Nylind/GuardianPaul Luscombe with his physiotherapist Joanna Lawrance in Dartford, Kent. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the GuardianSaba Salman2015-03-31T13:00:07ZThe housing crisis in Britain and how to tackle it: build more social homeshttp://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/mar/31/housing-crisis-britain-how-to-tackle-it-build-more-social-homes
<p>People have forgotten that decent housing is a right and not a privilege, says Green MEP Keith Taylor. This is what he thinks should be done</p><p>Homes in <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/feb/26/oxford-homes-now-the-least-affordable-in-the-uk">Oxford now cost an astonishing 16 times the average local salary</a> while across the south-east, the average property price is 12 times the average salary. Perhaps as a result, the south-east has seen the biggest rise in rough sleeping levels with a shocking 96% overall rise since 2010. And in 2013/14, no new social housing was built at all by the region’s local authorities. <br /></p><p>This represents a massive political failure to serve the interests of our communities.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/mar/31/housing-crisis-britain-how-to-tackle-it-build-more-social-homes">Continue reading...</a>PropertyHouse pricesHousingCommunitiesSocietyMoneyUK newsTue, 31 Mar 2015 12:25:30 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/mar/31/housing-crisis-britain-how-to-tackle-it-build-more-social-homesPhotograph: Peter Marshall/Demotix/CorbisHousing crisis protesters call for more social housing in Barnet.Photograph: Peter Marshall/Demotix/CorbisHousing crisis protesters call for more social housing in Barnet.Keith Taylor2015-03-31T12:25:30ZWe need to encourage collaboration in health and social care | Paul Streetshttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/health-social-care-collaboration-better-competition
Commissioners of services delivered by voluntary and community groups in these sectors must better support them to meet the needs of vulnerable people<p>More than 36,000 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations work in health and social care. Most are small – and most always will be. Often they are run by passionate, committed and highly individualistic people; what one of my colleagues has called “courageous leaders”.</p><p>These organisations are highly “geared”: on average, those we fund through the Lloyds Bank Foundation have a staff-volunteer ratio of 1:30. Many volunteers and staff connect with organisational purpose because they have experience of the issues, personally or through their family.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/health-social-care-collaboration-better-competition">Continue reading...</a>HealthHealthcare industrySocietyBusinessVoluntary sectorSocial enterprisesVolunteeringTue, 31 Mar 2015 12:00:06 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/health-social-care-collaboration-better-competitionPhotograph: AlamyVoluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are best equipped to deal with some of the most intractable and high-cost health and social care issues, such as homelessness. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyVoluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are best equipped to deal with some of the most intractable and high-cost health and social care issues, such as homelessness. Photograph: AlamyPaul Streets2015-03-31T12:00:06ZHow the internet of things could revolutionise council serviceshttp://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2015/mar/31/internet-of-things-revolutionise-council-services
<p>Street lights that detect approaching cyclists, CCTV cameras that identify unusual activity, and bus stops that count. Welcome to the future of local public services</p><p>“The internet of things has the potential to have a greater impact on society than the first digital revolution.” So said a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/409774/14-1230-internet-of-things-review.pdf" rel="nofollow">recent report [pdf]</a> by the UK government’s chief scientific adviser. Given that the first digital revolution effectively resulted in every internet-based service in use today, that’s quite a bold claim. But once you begin to understand the scope of the internet of things, it starts to make sense.</p><p>Today about 14bn objects are connected to the internet. By 2020 that number could be anywhere from 20bn to 100bn, according to the chief scientific adviser. Factor people, processes and analytics tools into this network of sensors and devices and you’ve got the internet of things.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/18/budget-2015-osborne-pins-digital-future-internet-of-things">Budget 2015: Osborne pins UK's digital future on internet of things</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/local-government-network/2011/aug/18/internet-of-things-local-government">How the 'internet of things' could radically change local government</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2015/mar/31/internet-of-things-revolutionise-council-services">Continue reading...</a>Public Leaders NetworkTechnologyInternet of thingsTechnologyLocal governmentNHSHealthSocietyLocal governmentHealthcare NetworkTue, 31 Mar 2015 11:52:21 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2015/mar/31/internet-of-things-revolutionise-council-servicesPhotograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty ImagesMilton Keynes council has installed parking sensors in car parks.Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty ImagesMilton Keynes council has installed parking sensors in car parks.Photograph: AlamyBetter use of CCTV cameras will inevitably come at the expense of more surveillance.Photograph: AlamyBetter use of CCTV cameras will inevitably come at the expense of more surveillance.Photograph: Christopher ThomondRemotely delivered telehealth can help people live more independent lives.Photograph: Christopher ThomondRemotely delivered telehealth can help people live more independent lives.Photograph: AlamySensors around bus stops that can detect the number of people nearby could allow councils to gauge transport demand.Photograph: AlamySensors around bus stops that can detect the number of people nearby could allow councils to gauge transport demand.Photograph: Dosfotos/PYMCA/REXSmart street lights, that get brighter as a cyclist approaches, will be piloted in Glasgow.Photograph: Dosfotos/PYMCA/REXSmart street lights, that get brighter as a cyclist approaches, will be piloted in Glasgow.Duncan Jefferies2015-03-31T11:52:21ZJapan's landmark same-sex partnerships ruling hailed by campaigners – videohttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/mar/31/japan-same-sex-partnerships-campaigners-video
Gay and transgender campaigners in Japan celebrate on Tuesday after a district in Tokyo became the first in the country to recognise same-sex partnerships. A small group of activists hold a banner thanking the ward of Shibuya for voting to issue certificates recognising same-sex unions as equivalent to marriage. 'All we want is to be able to live with the people we love,' says transgender campaigner Fumino Sugiyama <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/mar/31/japan-same-sex-partnerships-campaigners-video">Continue reading...</a>JapanWorld newsLGBT rightsTransgenderGay marriageSocietyAsia PacificTue, 31 Mar 2015 11:21:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/mar/31/japan-same-sex-partnerships-campaigners-videoguardian.co.uk140x84 trailpic for Campaigners in Japan celebrate landmark same-sex ruling - videoGuardian Staff2015-03-31T11:21:42ZKeeping felons from earning a living doesn't make us safer, only poorer | Paul Herouxhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/keeping-felons-from-earning-a-living-doesnt-make-us-safer-only-poorer
<p>70 million adults have arrest or conviction records in the United States - or about one in three adults. Restricting their employment is holding back our economy</p><p>I have a lot of titles in my life. I am a husband, father, college graduate, former corporate and small business employee, and retired small business owner. The list is long, and I am proud of it. In Florida, I am also called a “felon.” The title has stayed with me in the years since I served my sentence, and won’t go away.</p><p>I am not alone. There are <a href="http://www.nelp.org/page/-/SCLP/NELP-LCCR-Business-Case-Fair-Chance-Employment.pdf?nocdn=1">70 million adults</a> with arrest or conviction records in the United States - or about one in three adults, according the <a href="http://www.nelp.org/">National Employment Law Project</a>. And men with criminal records account for about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/business/out-of-trouble-but-criminal-records-keep-men-out-of-work.html?_r=0">34%</a> of all nonworking men of prime working age. That’s a serious problem for our national economy and my local community in central Florida. Though every stratum of society is affected, communities of color are particularly hard hit. People of color are <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/03/13/11351/the-top-10-most-startling-facts-about-people-of-color-and-criminal-justice-in-the-united-states/">more likely</a> to be arrested and to receive harsher punishments compared to their white counterparts. With little choice, the accused often take a plea deal, unaware of the life-long consequences of having a conviction.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/keeping-felons-from-earning-a-living-doesnt-make-us-safer-only-poorer">Continue reading...</a>US prisonsDiscrimination at workBusinessUnemploymentSocietyTue, 31 Mar 2015 11:15:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/keeping-felons-from-earning-a-living-doesnt-make-us-safer-only-poorerPhotograph: Phil Boorman/Getty ImagesJob interviews should be about your experience, not arrest record.Photograph: Phil Boorman/Getty ImagesJob interviews should be about your experience, not arrest record.Paul Heroux2015-03-31T11:15:05ZThe humble hospital gown is a metaphor for how we can transform the NHS | Damon Kamminghttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/hospital-gown-metaphor-transform-nhs-patients-experience
Patients complain of feeling exposed and left to wait too long in a draughty gown. We are listening to their poor experiences to improve services<p>NHS England’s blueprint for the future, the Five Year Forward View, says: “Sometimes the health service has been prone to operating a ‘factory’ model of care and repair with limited engagement with the wider community” and a “short-sighted approach to partnerships”. This is certainly true when it comes to the experience of a patient having surgery.</p><p>I thought that being a consultant anaesthetist familiar with the process of surgery, it would be a routine experience when I had to have a series of operations. But this was not the case at all.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/hospital-gown-metaphor-transform-nhs-patients-experience">Continue reading...</a>HospitalsSocietyNHSHealthTue, 31 Mar 2015 11:00:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/hospital-gown-metaphor-transform-nhs-patients-experiencePhotograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images‘Patient feedback provides invaluable intelligence and insightful ideas about how to improve care and redesign services.’ Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesPhotograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images‘Patient feedback provides invaluable intelligence and insightful ideas about how to improve care and redesign services.’ Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesDamon Kamming2015-03-31T11:00:05ZHas David Cameron really created 1,000 jobs a day?http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check/2015/mar/31/has-david-cameron-really-created-1000-jobs-a-day
<p><strong>Reality check:</strong> the headline figures the PM quotes mask the rise of zero-hours contracts, self-employment, and low pay</p><p>David Cameron claims that his government has created 1,000 jobs a day since the coalition came to power in 2010. He also claims that a Conservative government would continue to create jobs at the same rate if elected in May.</p><p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2015/mar/31/election-2015-cameron-party-leaders-campaign-trail-live#block-551a39f4e4b0cf3775a2c882"><strong>The prime minister told BBC Breakfast:</strong></a></p><p>Over the last five years we’ve created a thousand jobs a day, and we commit to continuing that record because we’re going to continue supporting business and industry, continuing to make our country an attractive one to invest in and so we believe we can create those thousand jobs.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2015/mar/31/election-2015-cameron-party-leaders-campaign-trail-live">Election 2015: Cameron warns of 'dangerous' Labour tax rises – live</a> </p><p> They’re going to come from successful British businesses, large and small, that are expanding because we’ve got a long-term economic plan that’s working.<br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check/2015/mar/31/has-david-cameron-really-created-1000-jobs-a-day">Continue reading...</a>UK unemployment and employment statisticsUnemploymentUK newsEconomicsEconomic growth (GDP)General election 2015Economic policyEconomic recoveryDavid CameronPoliticsConservativesZero-hours contractsPayFamily financesMoneyBusinessSocietyWork & careersOffice for Budget ResponsibilityJob lossesTue, 31 Mar 2015 10:40:19 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check/2015/mar/31/has-david-cameron-really-created-1000-jobs-a-dayPhotograph: Matthew Lloyd/GettyCommuters on London Bridge. Real pay fell between 2008 and 2014 as inflation outpaced wage rises.Photograph: Matthew Lloyd/GettyCommuters on London Bridge. Real pay fell between 2008 and 2014 as inflation outpaced wage rises.Angela Monaghan2015-03-31T10:40:19ZThere is no shortcut to protect children from violent video games | Nathan Ditumhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/no-shortcut-children-violent-video-games-parents-hysteria
Age ratings and threatening parents with police intervention aren’t the answer. Parents need to know what their children are playing and judge for themselves<p>At last! Another reason for everyone to get over-excited about video games. Thanks, headteachers’ group from Cheshire that sent a brick-subtle letter to parents threatening the involvement of the police and social services if their children are allowed access to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/29/schools-parents-police-children-18-rated-games" title="">violent video games</a>. This is terrific work.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/29/schools-parents-police-children-18-rated-games">Headteachers ​threaten to contact police over children playing 18-rated games</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/no-shortcut-children-violent-video-games-parents-hysteria">Continue reading...</a>GamesGame cultureTechnologyChildrenSocietyParents and parentingFamilyLife and styleUK newsTue, 31 Mar 2015 10:38:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/31/no-shortcut-children-violent-video-games-parents-hysteriaPhotograph: /PRCall of Duty 'gives players an encyclopaedic knowledge of real weapons from licensed manufacturers'.Photograph: /PRCall of Duty 'gives players an encyclopaedic knowledge of real weapons from licensed manufacturers'.Nathan Ditum2015-03-31T10:38:51ZThe charities who are challenging the government's workfare programmehttp://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/mar/31/the-charities-who-are-challenging-the-governments-workfare-programme
<p>In the third of a series we highlight the campaign against enforced community work placements</p><p><strong>What’s it all about? </strong>The Keep Volunteering Voluntary campaign began nearly a year ago in April 2014. It was started in response to the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/17/unemployed-will-have-to-do-community-work-under-tories-says-cameron">Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) workfare programme</a> which requires unemployed people to complete unpaid community work placements to receive benefits.<br /></p><p>The campaign group argues that the programme forces unemployed people to carry out unpaid work – not volunteer – or face having their benefits cut. The group says that consequences of losing benefits may cause destitution and hardship for many.<br /></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/feb/17/david-cameron-failed-listen-charities-youth-unemployment">Yet again, Cameron has failed to listen to charities on youth unemployment</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/feb/27/activists-charities-work-scheme-dwp">Activists are intimidating charities into quitting work scheme, says DWP</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/global/2015/jan/30/man-v-dog-which-charity-campaign-donate-to">Man v dog: which charity campaign would you donate to?</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/mar/31/the-charities-who-are-challenging-the-governments-workfare-programme">Continue reading...</a>Voluntary Sector NetworkVoluntary sector network blogCharitiesVolunteeringBenefitsUnemploymentVoluntary sectorPolicy and politicsSocietyVolunteeringTue, 31 Mar 2015 10:12:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/mar/31/the-charities-who-are-challenging-the-governments-workfare-programmePhotograph: Steve Meddle / Rex Features/Steve Meddle / Rex FeaturesOxfam believes that volunteering should remain voluntary and does not offer “compulsory elements of ‘work for your benefits’ schemes”.Photograph: Steve Meddle / Rex Features/Steve Meddle / Rex FeaturesOxfam believes that volunteering should remain voluntary and does not offer “compulsory elements of ‘work for your benefits’ schemes”.Anna Isaac2015-03-31T10:12:50ZGoading a vulnerable person to jump to their death is sickening | Clare Allanhttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/goading-vulnerable-person-jump-death-sickening
Reality TV, smartphones and social media may be reducing our ability to distinguish real life from entertainment, and our capacity to empathise<p>In an incident so sickening it is hard to find words to describe it, a man in Telford is reported to have fallen to his death after being goaded into jumping by a crowd of onlookers. In a case reminiscent of that of <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/jan/16/youth-suicide-derby" title="">Shaun Dykes, the 17-year-old who died in 2008</a> after jumping from a Derby city centre car park following taunts from the crowd below, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-31950982" title="">Ian Lam, 42, apparently fell </a>as police were trying to talk him down, to shouts of “jump” from the crowd below, some of whom were reportedly filming the incident on their phones.</p><p>An inquest will be held into Lam’s death and we must wait for the coroner’s report to establish exactly what happened. In Dykes’s case, the coroner ruled that those who were taunting him were “responsible, at least in part, for his death”. But no one has ever been arrested or charged for their role in the incident. Indeed, one of the police officers involved is reported as saying that there was “no specific offence” that people could be charged with if they were merely passing comments.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/goading-vulnerable-person-jump-death-sickening">Continue reading...</a>Mental healthSocietyTue, 31 Mar 2015 10:00:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/31/goading-vulnerable-person-jump-death-sickeningPhotograph: Michael Bowles /Rex FeaturesThere is a growing trend to film incidents and upload clips to social media. ‘We are passive consumers of tragedy, absolved of responsibility to take action, to intervene.’ Photograph: Michael Bowles /Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Michael Bowles /Rex FeaturesThere is a growing trend to film incidents and upload clips to social media. ‘We are passive consumers of tragedy, absolved of responsibility to take action, to intervene.’ Photograph: Michael Bowles /Rex FeaturesClare Allan2015-03-31T10:00:04ZIt's not charity: the rise of social enterprise in Vietnamhttp://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/31/its-not-charity-the-rise-of-social-enterprise-in-vietnam
<p>More work still needs to be done to dispel confusion surrounding social enterprises in Vietnam and help promote sustainable growth </p><p>It’s mid-afternoon in the village of Duong O, Bac Ninh province, but Huong hasn’t got time to break for tea. She’s only halfway through the long, exhausting job of making a traditional paper called Do. It’s winter and her hands are raw from the process of dipping a framed screen into a trough of frigid water, raising the pulpy tree bark fibres from the surface and transferring them onto a board, where they will be pressed and dried to become a single sheet of paper. </p><p>On a good day, she can make around 800 pages, but it will take a month before the handmade paper is fit to sell. It’s no surprise that Houng’s family is one of only three left in the area – just a one-hour drive from Vietnam’s capital Hanoi – that is still involved in this disappearing tradition. The country has experienced rapid development over the last 30 years and the villagers are now using their skills to produce toilet paper and napkins instead.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/30/social-innovation-business-berlin">Alternative economy: the rise of social innovation in Berlin</a> </p><p>In Vietnam without word of mouth and customer loyalty, there is little hope of survival</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/25/homeless-edinburgh-work-jobs-poverty-employment-greggs-pret">The homeless workers taking on Greggs, Eat and Pret a Manger</a> </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/31/its-not-charity-the-rise-of-social-enterprise-in-vietnam">Continue reading...</a>Guardian sustainable businessVietnamSocial enterprisesSocietyWorld newsAsia PacificTue, 31 Mar 2015 09:07:17 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/31/its-not-charity-the-rise-of-social-enterprise-in-vietnamPhotograph: Patrick Do DinhDo paper is a paper is traditionally produced in many villages in Vietnam and plays an important role in folk art.Photograph: Patrick Do DinhDo paper is a paper is traditionally produced in many villages in Vietnam and plays an important role in folk art.Photograph: Zó projectSocial enterprise is keeping traditional paper-making alive.Photograph: Zó projectSocial enterprise is keeping traditional paper-making alive.Matthew Jenkin in Vietnam2015-03-31T09:07:17ZSex workers protest blog blaming Pretty Woman for glamourising prostitutionhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/31/sex-workers-protest-blog-pretty-woman-glamourising-prostitution
<p>#FacesOfProstitution begins trending in the wake of blogpost from sex trafficking campaigners Exodus Cry, who say that the Julia Roberts film led women to believe sex work was glamorous</p><p>Last week marked 25 years since the release of Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts’s call girl falls for Richard Gere’s moneyed and emotionally inaccessible exec. The film’s rose-tinting of prostitution was criticised by Christian campaign group Exodus Cry, which campaigns against sex trafficking, but its blogpost has now caused indignation amongst other parts of the sex trade.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/23/pretty-womans-cinderella-fantasy-25-years">Pretty Woman's still successfully hawks the Cinderella fantasy after 25 years | Nichi Hodgson</a> </p><p>So drug-addled / unhealthy I can only hold the pole with one arm <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FacesOfProstitution?src=hash">#FacesOfProstitution</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/neveravictim?src=hash">#neveravictim</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Mamamia">@Mamamia</a> <a href="http://t.co/JdV4SMeJJ7">pic.twitter.com/JdV4SMeJJ7</a></p><p>Pretty sure I don't look like a drug-addled, downtrodden hooker. Don't need saving, thanks. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FacesOfProstitution?src=hash">#FacesOfProstitution</a> <a href="http://t.co/rhwdlJVavO">pic.twitter.com/rhwdlJVavO</a></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/31/sex-workers-protest-blog-pretty-woman-glamourising-prostitution">Continue reading...</a>Pretty WomanFilmDocumentarySex tradeProstitutionCultureHuman traffickingSocietyTue, 31 Mar 2015 08:53:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/31/sex-workers-protest-blog-pretty-woman-glamourising-prostitutionPhotograph: Touchstone/AllstarRichard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.Photograph: Touchstone/AllstarRichard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.Ben Beaumont-Thomas2015-03-31T08:53:41Z